‘Gold template’: Israeli tech will turn waste into energy

Company to establish facility at Swedish port for local production of energy and green molecules that are circular and carbon negative.

By Abigail Klein Leichman, ISRAEL21c

An Israeli clean technology to produce electricity and “green” methanol continuously from nonrecyclable waste will be powering a local energy production facility at Wallhamn Port in Tjörn, Sweden – one of the largest vehicle handling ports in northern Europe.

Boson Energy, an Israel-Swedish-Polish company, will build the plant to serve Wallhamn’s growing need for energy and electricity for charging vehicles unloaded in the port, as well as supporting the local power grid when needed.

Both the electricity and fuel will be carbon negative, as Boson Energy’s process makes it possible to capture carbon dioxide, for utilization or storage, in a clean and cost-effective way.

The only solid residue from the conversion process is a glass slag that can be used as an environmentally friendly filling material, or further processed into climate-smart insulation material.

Torbjörn Wedebrand, CEO of Wallhamn, said the project is an opportunity to expand port operations and realize its goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-negative port.

“This project creates very good conditions for our green transition and reliable energy supply — both for our own operations and for our customers,” Wedebrand said.

“It will be an important part of growing our import/export business while at the same time achieving significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the various products from Boson Energy’s integrated approach offer very interesting opportunities to develop the entire area around the port. For us, this is a flagship project, and many ports around the world are facing similar challenges.”

As part of the project, Boson Energy has also entered into a cooperation agreement with Ecopromt to build an indoor farming facility for growing vegetables in the vicinity of the port. This facility will receive green electricity, carbon dioxide, and cooling directly from Boson Energy’s facility.

With an initial investment of 100 million euros, the project is expected to begin construction in 2025.

“The Wallhamn project will show the autonomous and dynamic potential of our 24/7/365 system for local production of electricity and green molecules in phasing out fossil alternatives,” said Jan Grimbrandt, founder and CEO Boson Energy.

“The project will cut straight into sectors where it is difficult to decarbonize, such as marine fuels, chemical industry, fertilizers and ultimately even local food production with high-efficiency greenhouses. This project will become a global template that is relevant not only for ports, but also for cities and any kinds of ‘islands’ – all of which face problems of energy access, costs and fossil fuel footprints.”